Sharing Different Heartbeats
by megaNeontiger
Summary: Watching all of his friends go out and chase their dreams while he stood by and watched had to be one of the most difficult things Kurt Hummel had dealt with since the death of his mother. Or so he thought. With the upcoming summer comes new friendships, new dreams, and really tough decisions. Set directly after 'Goodbye'.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: This will be a Kurtofsky story. If you don't like that pairing then you probably won't like the fic. You can give it a go if you feel so inclined to do so, but I figured a heads up at the get go would be helpful. I hated Season 4 of Glee so this is my take on how a romantic relationship between Kurt and Dave could play out using the canon up to the finale of season 3. It is AU after that. Updates will be sporadic at best, but the more people read and review the more inclined I feel to speed up the updates so there is that. Also the rating right now is T for language and sexual themes to come, though the rating could go up if I become comfortable and proficient in writing a bit of smut. Some minor talks of Dave's suicide attempt are mentioned throughout the story so if that could be a trigger for you proceed with mild caution. No beta so all mistakes are mine. **

* * *

Kurt honestly wasn't sure how his life had come to this.

Waving goodbye to Rachel with a fake smile plastered on his face had been one of the most unpleasant experiences he had dealt with in his life so far. Kurt didn't like unpleasant things.

Everyone stood around the train station as they watched Finn standing off further down the platform where he had chased the train trying to catch a few final glimpses of Rachel riding off toward her future. The irony of it all was most definitely not lost on Kurt. Rachel Berry was being forced to chase her dreams while he wasn't even given a gallon of gas to find his._'The world is just really unfair'_ Kurt thought to himself as he continued to hold in the scream he so desperately wanted to let out.

A few moments passed and everyone started to feel awkward just standing around the train station. Most of the people who had come to see their loved ones off had already dispersed, but they had just continued to stand there waiting for Finn to return to the group.

"Maybe you should go over there and get him," Sam suggested to Kurt.

"Yeah. I'll go and get him," Kurt replied as he began walking toward his step-brother.

As Kurt approached he got a better view of Finn's stance. His step-brother stood there looking out into the distance at a train that was no longer there with a dejected look and his shoulders slumped in resignation. If Kurt had stopped to think about it, it was actually the perfect embodiment of how he felt.

"Finn. Everyone's waiting around on you. Maybe we could all go to the Lima Bean for coffee?" Kurt suggested as he stood next to the freakishly tall teen.

"Why? Why would we go as a group like that? Rachel isn't here anymore. Half of us are leaving soon anyway. We don't have to keep doing things as the New Directions. We need to just stop this." Finn replied with a hint of anger as he turned away from the train tracks and began heading in the opposite direction back toward his vehicle.

"Contrary to what you apparently believe, we have all grown together as a group over the last three years and everyone is genuinely friends. Besides, I don't think you should be alone right now." Kurt said as he quickly fell into step behind Finn.

At Kurt's last words Finn snapped around and locked his eyes onto Kurt. "I know you may think you know what is best for me and hell, you are probably right. But I just watched the girl I love and had planned on marrying get onto a train headed to New York while I stayed behind. I'm sorry, but I am going to ignore your advice on what you think I need right now." As Finn finished speaking he turned on his heel and made a beeline straight for his vehicle.

Kurt returned to where everyone was standing around with confused looks on their faces.

"Finn just wants to be alone right now," Kurt relayed to the group.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Mike asked as he watched Finn's vehicle rush off on the road.

Kurt didn't know how to answer the question. "I hope so," he said honestly.

"Maybe we can all go to the Lima Bean for coffee," Blaine suggested excitedly. Kurt nodded his head at his boyfriend and looked to the rest of the group encouragingly until his eyes finally landed on Mercedes.

"Sorry, Boo. I really have to go home and pack. I'm supposed to leave for L.A. tomorrow for the first face to face meeting with my agent. I'll be back in a week though. Maybe we can all go out for coffee as a group then?" she suggested timidly.

"Can't," Quinn spoke up. "Me and my mom are going to New Haven for my new student orientation at Yale in a week and then we are staying up there for a small vacation."

"I'm leaving for California soon. I want to get a good start on my pool cleaning business and precious summer days are ticking away," Puck said from his perch on a nearby bench.

The group stood there awkwardly as they all tried to figure out exactly where to go from there.

"Wow. We really are going our own ways aren't we?" Mike said softly. They were all thinking it, but he was the only one to voice the opinion.

After a few awkward minutes of standing around they all decided to break the silence and say their 'goodbyes'. They all agreed that the 'goodbyes' weren't final. It was just 'goodbye for now'. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

Kurt hung back from the group as they all made their way to their cars.

"My offer for coffee still stands," Blaine said as he noticed Kurt dragging his feet behind the group.

Kurt was grateful. He really did not feel like going home just yet.

The Lima Bean wasn't very busy as Kurt and Blaine made their way inside. The summer heat had apparently chased away even the most faithful of coffee drinkers. The pair was able to walk right up to the counter to place their orders and in no time they had their drinks and a small table off to the side.

The boys sat at the table quietly and albeit awkwardly until finally Blaine broke the silence.

"You seem a little out of it, Kurt. What's wrong?" Blaine asked as he took a sip of his drink.

Kurt sighed as he began to play with the napkin in front of him. "It just feels really weird. We have spent the last three years together and now everyone is leaving and going their own way."

"It happens," Blaine said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I am sure you guys will see each other again soon. Everyone is just growing up and chasing their dreams."

"That's the point Blaine. Everyone is leaving to go after the things they want and I'm not. I am not leaving. I am not chasing anything. I am stuck here and I am the only one."

"That's not true. Santana is staying here too. You aren't the only one who is staying behind in Lima," Blaine offered lamely.

"Yeah, but Santana is staying by choice. She could have left if she wanted to. She got a scholarship to go to school. She is staying behind because she wants to, not because the school didn't want her."

"Look at it this way, Kurt. I'm still here. I have another year at McKinley and we can be together. Meanwhile, you can take general education courses at the community college and take part in some regional productions to add to your acting resume. Then we can both apply to schools in the winter and spring and hopefully the two of us can leave for New York together next year," Blaine said with a smile.

"Wait. So you want me slum around Lima for the next year to work on getting more experience for my application and try again next year? What if I don't get in next year, either?" Kurt asked.

"Well … We can still move to New York together," Blaine offered.

"Okay. So even if I don't get in I could move to New York next year. Why not this year? I can do everything in New York that I could do here."

"Well … I'm here. That seems like a pretty good reason to me."

"So let me get this straight. You want me to put my dream of living in New York on hold for a year so that I can wait around Lima for you to graduate? How is that fair?"

"What do you mean 'fair', Kurt? I figured we could just go to New York together."

Kurt looked down at his hands as they were still playing with his napkin. Anything to look away from his boyfriend. "But I want to go to New York now."

"Don't you think that is a little selfish, Kurt?"

"Excuse me? Selfish? You are the one who wants me to put my dreams on hold for a year."

"Can we please just not talk about this right now?" Blaine asked.

Kurt sighed. The conversation was _far _from over, but he knew Blaine wouldn't contribute to the discussion anymore that night.

"Do you maybe want to go see a movie tonight? Or we could go to Breadstix?" Blaine asked after he cleared his throat indicating that they were officially changing the subject.

"No. I can't tonight. I'm busy," Kurt replied.

"Busy? With what? School is over."

"Carole bought new curtains and rods for the living room and since my dad is in D.C. I offered my help on installing them tonight so that they wouldn't have to worry about doing it when my dad got home."

"Okay," Blaine said and nodded his acceptance of the offered reason.

It was a lie. But of course Kurt didn't want Blaine to know that.

The couple cleaned up their table and got up to leave. They had actually arrived at the train station in their own separate cars so they quickly kissed and parted in the parking lot of the Lima Bean.

Kurt still wasn't ready to go home. He quietly chastised himself, thinking that he should have accepted Blaine's offer for a date if only to give himself a good excuse to not go home and be alone. He didn't mind being alone, but going home to see the boxes he had packed and the sticky notes he had used to mark all of his belongings that were deemed worthy of the trek to New York was a horribly painful reminder of the fact that the sticky notes would have to be removed and the boxes unpacked. He knew that he could always go to the mall to kill a few hours, but wandering aimlessly through clothes racks and people did not seem too appealing at the moment.

Kurt just wanted to go somewhere quiet. A place that he wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone. Somewhere that he could sit for hours by himself to think and no one would bother him.

He was desperate. And that is when he saw the sign.

_Library of Lima._

Kurt always liked to think of himself as somewhat academic and had thought that was the reason why he was recognized by the library staff, but the truth was that over the years the library had become a regular safe haven for the boy. He remembered all the times he would hide out in the library to avoid being tossed in the dumpster during his sophomore year at McKinley. He remembered the horrible week he spent at the library during his junior year trying to find some semblance of quiet solace while he waited to hear any news on his father's condition after his heart attack. And now he was back at the library trying to forget everything the last week had brought with it.

Kurt scanned the shelves in a quiet daze. Usually, he always had school work or something to keep him occupied while he was at the library. He hadn't had time to read for pleasure in a while and now that the school year was over and he had graduated, he didn't even have a summer reading list to work on. He continued to peruse the books and picked up anything that caught his eye, but would quickly return the book to the shelf as his mind continued to dwell on thoughts of his future. It was hard to read about far off places and adventures of fictional characters when your own life was currently missing all promise of those very things.

Just as Kurt rounded the corner of one of the shelves to continue onto the other side he caught a glimpse of someone occupying one of the back tables in the library. They were bent over an array of books that were spread out on the table and mumbling to themselves with determination.

David Karofsky really hadn't changed much since Kurt last saw him in the hospital after the boys attempt at taking his own life. In the back of Kurt's mind, he chastised himself for dropping the friendship he had offered to the boy.

Kurt had tried to keep up with David over Facebook, but a few weeks after David returned home from the hospital the boy must have decided to delete his page. Kurt felt bad for taking so long to notice that the boy's profile was missing from his newsfeed, but in his defense Dave had never really updated that much on the site to begin with.

Since then the two had shared random and terse text messages. Kurt would ask if Dave was doing better and Dave would reply 'Getting there,'. Dave had informed Kurt that he was being home-schooled and Kurt had wished him the best of luck. Kurt had thought about texting David to say that it was weird to be on the stage at prom by himself to coronate the senior royalty, but then decided against it. The last communication the boys had was when Dave had texted Kurt before graduation to say his congratulations and Kurt responded with a simple 'Thank you.'

It was a little appalling, Kurt thought to himself as he stood there and watched David flip through one of the books frantically. He had told David that he would be there for him and help him to accept himself in the face of all the disapproval he was facing from his peers and family, but over the last few months Kurt had been so caught up in his own world and his own troubles to spare the boy anything more than a few moments to type out a quick text message.

Suddenly Kurt had found the perfect distraction.

Kurt gave up searching for a book in favor of approaching the boy who seemed to be lost in his own world of studying.

Kurt had made his way over to the table and thought that David would notice someone approaching, but the studying boy continued to be immersed in his books as Kurt stood on the other side of the table. "David! Hi. We haven't seen each other in while," Kurt stated to the boy.

It was obvious that Dave had no clue that Kurt had approached as he gave a little jump when he realized that someone was standing there talking to him. He looked at Kurt with a confused expression until finally recognition crossed his face and he spoke.

"Kurt? Hey. Um … What are you doing here?" Dave said timidly as he was clearly confused as to why Kurt had approached him.

The two boys were getting dirty looks from the few other people who were occupying the tables for their volume. Kurt gave them all a sheepish smile and sat down at the table across from David before he leaned in a bit to whisper to the other boy, making sure to keep a check on his volume. Luckily, everyone else was far enough away that the two boys were able to converse and go unnoticed as long as they kept their voices down to a whisper. "Sorry to disturb you. I just came by the library to get out of the house and saw you sitting here. We haven't really spoken much lately. I'm sorry for that," Kurt said honestly.

"It's okay. I've been really busy lately anyway," Dave said as he nodded to Kurt in understanding.

"Yeah. You look busy. Exactly what are you studying for in the summer?" Kurt asked as he looked at all the books that were sprawled over the table top.

"The ACT. After my … thing … I uh, well college wasn't really on the check list. I had to get better first and so my dad thought it would be best to put school off for a year until he and my doctor were certain that I was okay. I tried to to argue, but it didn't help me much at first. I guess they both have seen an improvement in the last month because my dad talked to the admissions office at Ohio State and they said that as long as I finish up the school work for my senior year and score well on the ACT that I could start in the fall," Dave said as he gestured to the books around him.

Kurt smiled. He was genuinely proud that Dave had been able to do well even without his help. "That's great. I'm so proud of you. When is your test?"

"June. On the 9th. I still have quite a bit to wait, but I just want to make sure I do well. My dad is still trying to get me to stay home and take my general education courses at the branch here in Lima, but I am hoping that if I do well enough he will let me go to the main campus in Columbus. I don't want to stay another year in Lima if I can help it."

"I know what you mean," Kurt said quietly in response to David's desires.

"And you? I'm sure you are going off to do amazing things next fall."

"Actually, right now I have no clue what my future holds. I was an idiot and only applied to one school up in New York and I didn't get in. It's too late to try and apply anywhere else. So it looks like I am stuck in Lima at least until the end of the year. If I am lucky I might be able to start up somewhere for the semester next spring. If not, then … Maybe next fall," Kurt said as his situation was once again brought to the forefront of his mind.

"Wow. I'm so sorry Kurt. But does that mean you are staying in Lima too or were you still planning on moving up to New York with Berry and Hudson?" Dave asked as he set his pencil down and finally pushed away the book he had been using to study.

"I don't know. Rachel got in to NYADA. She actually just left to go up and look at dorms and apartments with her dads and Finn joined the army. I want to go to New York. I do. But I can't just leave with no plan of action. It is probably too late for me to try and apply to any of the small colleges up there. I just don't know what to do," Kurt said as he studied the lines on the wooden table in front of him.

"What has your dad said about all this?"

Kurt sighed. "We haven't really talked about it. To be honest I haven't really wanted to talk about it. I tried to talk earlier with Blaine and that … just didn't go too well."

"Why? What happened?" Dave asked and then noticing Kurt's hesitance. "Sorry. You don't need to answer that. I am prying. It isn't my business."

"No. It's fine. Blaine thinks this could be good. If I stay, we wouldn't have to worry about a long distance relationship and then next year we could leave for New York together," Kurt replied.

"Okay … So what does Blaine expect you to do around Lima for a year while you wait for him to finish school?"

"I don't know. 'Work on getting more experience.' I just don't see why I have to stay in Lima to get more acting experience. I tried to and I got passed up on the part. Truth be told, I wouldn't fit any part that a small conservative regional theatre group in Lima, Ohio would have in any of their productions." Kurt sighed as he finished his thought.

" … Then go to New York," David said simply.

"I'm sorry?"

"Just … Continue to pack up your things and go to New York like you would have if you had gotten into that fancy acting school."

Kurt laughed. "We discussed this already David. What in the world would I do once I got up there? I can't go to school. It isn't a guarantee that I would ever get a part in anything …"

"Just get a job and go for it, Fancy."

"It isn't that simple, David. Besides, I don't even know if I want to do theatre anymore. I absolutely _killed_ my audition and I still didn't get in. I might just not be cut out for it," Kurt said with dejected resignation.

"Then figure out what you want to do and go for it, Kurt. I know you don't want to stay here in Lima so why would you willingly stay any longer than you have to? I don't even really have a choice as to whether I have stay or get to go, but I am doing every damn thing that I can to get out of here. Don't resign yourself to this Kurt. Do what you want," Dave said as he looked Kurt in the eyes with an intensity that was almost palpable.

"You're right," Kurt said simply.

"Of course I'm right. You are Kurt Fucking Hummel. You wore ten inch Lady Gaga heels. You stood up to the big school bully. You absolutely owned the coronation at Junior Prom. You can do anything. So do this," David said with a slightly pained smile on his face. Suddenly all the memories of everything the two boys had been through came rushing to the forefront and demanded all the attention.

David coughed and looked back down at his books, obviously feeling ashamed at bringing up their troubled past so nonchalantly.

"I am so sorry I haven't been there for you, David," Kurt said as he watched the boy on the other side of the table.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Kurt. I'm living with the consequences of my decisions and I have to deal with the shit I have caused," Dave said as he continued to look down at the table and fiddled with the edge of one of the books laid out before him.

"No. That is not true. No one should ever have to deal with everything on their own. No one. Especially not you. You have come so far and I am really proud of you, David," Kurt said sincerely as he reached across the table and took the hand that was messing with the book.

"I don't deserve this, Kurt. Your friendship or kindness. I am still a mess. Half of the time I think I am okay with everything, but I still get these complete moments of rage at the fact that I didn't choose any of this yet I still have to deal with it all. It isn't fair," Dave said as he looked to Kurt with desperation in his eyes.

"It isn't fair at all, Dave. But you are wrong. You do deserve my friendship. Actually, you deserve the friendship of someone much better. I haven't been there for you and I should have been. But I hope to make things right, Dave," Kurt said as he continued to hold the other boy's hand. "I will be here for you this summer, okay. We will be here for each other. And we will push each other toward our goals. By the end of the summer you will be moving to Columbus and I will be moving to New York. Deal?"

Dave looked up at Kurt and his gaze held such an intensity that it literally took Kurt's breath away. Kurt had completely stopped breathing as he watched Dave study him from across the table. The one thing that pulled Kurt from his daze was the feeling of his hand being lightly squeezed and Dave's soft voice saying, "Deal."


	2. Chapter 2

"It feels like forever since I last saw you," Kurt said as Blaine took the seat across from him at the Lima Bean.

"Sorry. It's just been … Busy at home. The parents are trying to make sure I am doing everything I can to get things settled before the school year starts so I can apply to college for early decision," Blaine said as his eyes shifted around the room.

Kurt was suspicious, but not enough to care. Something had been going on with Blaine in the last two weeks since the end of school and their small argument over New York. He had been spending a lot more time with his 'family' and had been canceling coffee dates and mall trips. Kurt couldn't be too bothered about it though since every time he got a text with a lame excuse saying why Blaine couldn't make it he had actually felt relief. But as it turned out, Kurt had found a good outlet for his time.

"Well you have to do whatever it takes to get ahead, right?" Kurt said with a slight edge to his tone.

"Yeah. My summers doing the Six Flags gig will look really good on my applications. Add that to doing the musical last year and being in a National Championship winning Glee club and I have a pretty strong application," Blaine said with a smile.

Kurt's smile tightened at Blaine's words. He was so good at keeping his mouth shut sometimes, but his attitude tended to get the best of him. "Well good. I know a lot of people would kill to have an application that strong."

"Oh, god. I'm sorry, Kurt. I wasn't even thinking. I just ..."

"It's fine," Kurt said quickly, even though it wasn't . He just really didn't want to get into another argument today. "So do you want to do something tonight? Maybe go see a movie? Or just rent one and have a quiet night in?"

"I can't. I am meeting … my parents. For dinner. There's a new restaurant in Westerville and they want to try it out."

"Oh. Okay." Kurt knew it should bother him that Blaine was probably lying to him about meeting his parents for dinner, but he wasn't.

"Yeah. Sorry. Hopefully you won't be too bored there at home."

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do."

* * *

"No, David. I don't think that is the kind of thought-provoking question that would be asked on the writing portion of the ACT," Kurt said with a small laugh to the boy sitting across the table from him. They were at David's house and had set up at the small table that sat in the kitchen. Dave had just finished another ACT practice test and was waiting for Kurt to give him the final part for the day.

It had been a little over two weeks since Kurt and David had made their deal to help each other over the summer and Kurt had stayed true to his word this time. As soon as he had gotten home from the library that afternoon, he went straight to his room to search through his packed up boxes of books to find what he was looking for. He called Dave the very next day to offer him his old ACT-prep workbooks and practice tests and offered to help David in any other way that he could. Helping David was a good distraction. It not only helped to keep Kurt out of the house for hours on end, but also helped to keep his mind off of his impending future and the questions that he would have to find answers for soon.

That is how Kurt ended up being the proctor for all of Dave's practice tests.

Kurt was surprised to find that Dave was actually very smart. His projected scores in math and science were both over thirty and his reading and english were not far behind in the mid to high twenties. After scoring a few other practice tests over the course of a few days and getting pretty much the same results each time, Kurt had approached Dave asking why he spent so much time studying when he obviously had a pretty good handle on all the subjects.

David had shuffled around the subject at first, but he finally came around and admitted that he wasn't very confident in his ability to score well on the writing portion. OSU was a school that looked very highly on the importance of being able to write well and David knew his chances of getting into the school with a great scholarship could be hindered by his writing score. He had hoped that by scoring very well on all the other portions of the test, his writing portion wouldn't detract too much from his application.

That night Kurt had gone home and done an extensive Google search in order to find some of the most popular and helpful writing prompts for Dave to practice with. When he showed up at David's house two days later to help time and check over another practice test for Dave he showed him the small stack of prompts he had found and they both decided it would be helpful for Dave to practice those along with the tests. There wasn't a way to score the essays, but it would be helpful for Dave to practice being able to come up with his arguments and ideas in the time he would be given and Kurt was helpful in reading over the essays to point out ways in which David could strengthen his arguments and to also point out any grammar mistakes and how to avoid them.

"I'm just saying that maybe the people who read these actually do care about how I felt about the outcome of the 2006 SuperBowl. You never know, Fancy. Not everyone can be as cultured and articulate as you," Dave said with a joking sneer.

"And not everyone can be as into arguing over the outcomes of games that happened six years ago as you," Kurt said as he laughed and grabbed the prompt that he had picked for David. "I think you will like the prompt I picked out for today."

"As long as it isn't another one that suggests something stupid. Like extending high school to five years. I mean, four years was bad enough," David said as he took the papers from Kurt and began to read over them. Kurt watched David as he read over the paragraph on the sheet.

Kurt knew he was pushing it a little, but working on these essays had proven to be a good way to open David up. In general, the ACT essays focused on smaller issues and Kurt just really wanted to know how Dave would handle it if a tougher issue was something that they asked. He wanted to know how Dave would handle an issue that hit close to home.

"You've got to be kidding me, Fancy. This can't be a standard question for the ACT," Dave said as he put the paper down and looked away from the table to avoid looking at Kurt.

"I admit. I tweaked the dress code prompt a little, but this could very well be something that they could ask. I just wanted to see..."

"You wanted to see how bad I still feel over bullying you?"

"No! I know you are sorry for all of that. And I forgave you for it long ago. I figured it could be a good prompt for you since you have seen both sides."

"So you really think that the ACT people would ask how they think setting up anti-bullying programs in schools would help improve academics? That's bullshit, Kurt. What is this really about?" Dave asked as he finally looked back to Kurt with hurt written across his features.

"Nothing. I just …," Kurt faltered. At the time Kurt thought it was a good idea to get David to open up more, but he was quickly regretting the fact that he decided to go through with his idea.

David shook his head and looked down at his lap. Kurt could tell the other boy was trying to shrink in on himself both physically and mentally. "I don't want to write about this stuff, okay. I don't want to think about it," David spoke with intensity. "At least, I try not to think about it. Most of the time it is all I ever think about. But I have to try to move on, you know? It still seems impossible sometimes, but I am trying," David said as tears began to form in his eyes as he looked over to where Kurt was sitting.

"Yes, David. I forgave you long ago … It is about time you do yourself the same courtesy," Kurt said with a slight smile.

"I don't understand how you can be so forgiving."

"I wasn't lying that day when I said that I saw how miserable you were making yourself. No one deserves that," Kurt said honestly.

"I was horrible to you, Kurt. Of course I deserved it," Dave bit back sharply.

"Ok. I'm not going to lie. There was a time when all I wanted was to see you miserable. I wanted to know that you were feeling as bad as I had felt. But then I saw you at the championship game last year. I was in the stands and I saw you run out onto the field and you just … You looked so happy, David," Kurt said as he gazed at Dave with a soft smile. "You let loose and finally did something that you wanted to do and you didn't care what everyone else would think. In that moment I realized that I could never wish you any real ill will. You were doing a fine job on your own making yourself miserable by repressing yourself so much."

"It's just hard sometimes … To think that I could ever deserve to forgive myself for all the shit I pulled."

"I do think you should forgive yourself, David. But I also think that every thing you have done and everything that has happened … That stuff will stay with you for the rest of your life. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. You just have to move past it all and let it make you stronger. What you went through … No one should have to feel like that. I just hope you know now that you don't have to feel like that just because of what you did to me when you were a confused kid."

"I'm really sorry, Kurt," David said as a tear finally made it's way down his cheek.

"I know you are, David. I know."

"I'm also sorry about getting mad at you today. I know you didn't mean anything hurtful by it. I just … If you want to ask me hard hitting questions just ask, okay? Don't skirt around and try to use the pretense of a practice test just to get me to be honest. Just ask and I will be honest with you. Okay, Kurt?"

Kurt nodded as he sat on the other side of the table and stared at David. "I really am sorry that you had to go through what you did, David. And I am so sorry I wasn't there to help you," Kurt said as his voice cracked and he felt the warm heat of tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"Shit, Kurt. Don't cry."

"I'm sorry. I just … I don't want to flake out on you again."

"Then don't. But really, Kurt. Let's make another deal."

"Another deal? We seem to be doing that a lot this summer," Kurt said with a wet laugh.

Dave chuckled back at Kurt. "Yeah. I will work on forgiving myself for the way I treated you as long as you work on realizing that everything that happened earlier this year isn't your fault. Deal?"

"Deal," Kurt whispered softly as he continued to smile at David.

"Speaking of 'deals' … I have something for you, Fancy," David said excitedly as he jumped up from his chair at the table and left the room. Kurt soon heard the thudding of footsteps going up the stairs and came to the conclusion that Dave must have gone up to his room. Kurt got up from his chair and made his way up to David's room.

He finally made it to Dave's room and took in his surroundings. The first time he saw the room it had taken him by surprise. Kurt had thought it would have been overrun by bland neutral colors with the ever present sign of a teenage boy's messiness, very much like Finn's room. He was surprised to find that the room was actually pretty tidy and decorated in shades of blue.

At first he felt the room didn't fit Dave. Kurt had a firm picture of a typical teenage boy's room set in his mind, but over the last few weeks he learned that Dave was not a typical teenage boy. Now the room seemed to scream 'David' with all of its personal quirks and model airplanes scattered around the room. Dave had explained how the planes held significance to him and Kurt had learned that they were a hobby he had picked up from his grandfather when he was younger. Dave admitted he was never really into it and that he had not continued to build them after his grandfather had died several years before, but he had dealt with putting the small models together for so many years just so he could spend time with his grandfather and now the little metal and plastic figures held so much nostalgia for Dave that he couldn't find it in his heart to ever take them down.

Kurt turned his attention away from his thoughts and took in the amusing image of Dave with papers pressed between his lips as he was shuffling things around on his desk with an intense concentration. Kurt let out a soft chuckle at the sight and Dave turned his attention away from his desk and toward Kurt.

Dave quickly pulled the papers out from between his lips and gave Kurt a sheepish smile. "Hey. Sorry. I was just going to bring these down to you. You didn't have to follow me up here."

"It's fine. I needed to get out of that room for a little bit anyway," Kurt said as he made his way over to David and his desk. "What are these?" he asked as he took the papers from Dave's grasp.

"Internship applications. In New York. There are a few for some advertising and PR stuff with off broadway theatre groups," Dave said excitedly.

Kurt was touched. "Wow. You really didn't have to do this Dave," he said as he looked over the applications.

"Yes I did. We made a deal. Besides, after how much you helped me with my practice tests it was the least I could do. I also remembered how you said you weren't even sure if you even wanted to do theatre anymore and I came across a few internships for some fashion magazines, so I put those in there as well. I mean … Fashion and clothes are kind of your thing so you would probably be awesome at whatever they would want you to do," Dave said he he walked over to his bed and took a seat on the edge.

"Thank you," Kurt said as he made his way over to Dave's bed to sit next to the boy.

They sat in silence as Kurt continued to look over the applications. He let out a small sigh and turned slightly toward David as he spoke. "What if I apply for all of these internships and don't hear anything from any of them?"

"Then you keep trying with other places until you do. You can't give up on this, Kurt."

Kurt let out a small laugh. "Like you'd let me," he joked until he noticed the seriousness in Dave's eyes.

"No. I won't let you," Dave said honestly as he held Kurt's gaze.

The two boys sat in a comfortable silence until they both heard the front door open and then close. Dave was the first to get up and Kurt followed right behind him as they made their way down the stairs.

"Hey, Dad," Dave said as they made their way into the kitchen where they found Paul Karofsky.

"Hey, son," Paul said in acknowledgment of the greeting. "Hi, Kurt," he said as he noticed the smaller boy standing slightly behind David. "It's always nice to see you."

"You too, Mr. Karofsky," Kurt said as he smiled at the older man. David's dad was someone Kurt had grown to respect quite a bit, especially after he learned about how the older Karofsky had stood by his son after Dave's mother threatened to leave if they didn't send Dave to therapy for his 'illness'. Needless to say, the household was short on estrogen for the time being.

"I figured we could order in tonight. Again," Paul said as he grabbed the phone book from a nearby drawer. "Are you staying for dinner, Kurt?" he asked as he grabbed the phone from its dock.

'No, thank you. I really better get home. Thanks for the offer though."

"Not a problem. Just know you are welcome to stay anytime. I'm going to order Chinese, okay David. The usual?" Paul asked as he left the kitchen and headed into the living.

"Yeah," Dave shouted into the other room. "And order some egg rolls, too!"

They heard a small grunt of affirmation and shortly after it was followed by the soft sounds of David's dad talking to someone on the other line of the phone.

"Sorry I can't stay for dinner," Kurt said as he began packing his bag.

"S'alright. We'll trap you here for a meal someday," Dave joked as he watched Kurt pack up his things.

Once Kurt was all packed up the two boys made their way to the door. Once they were outside Kurt spoke. "So do you think tonight was enough practice or are you looking for some more tomorrow?" he asked as they neared his Navigator that was parked in the driveway.

"Isn't Blaine getting pissed that you aren't spending any time with him this summer? I mean … It just seems like you are always over here helping me with my studying and practice tests."

"Eh. Blaine is supposedly very busy with his family lately," Kurt said with a clipped tone.

"You don't sound entirely convinced about that," Dave replied.

"I don't know. I feel like he's hiding something, but I can't find it in myself to care what it is."

"That can't be good, Kurt. I mean. He's your boyfriend. He should be honest with you and you should be honest with him," Dave said as Kurt unlocked the back door of his vehicle and opened it to deposit his bag into the backseat.

"I know," Kurt sighed as he slammed the door with a little too much force.

"Woah, there. Easy. No need to get an attitude. I am just trying to give you a third party perspective," Dave said as he cocked a grin at Kurt's small display.

"You wouldn't be a fair third party. You would always take my side because you're my friend," Kurt pointed out.

"Not if you're wrong."

Kurt huffed. "I'm never wrong. What are you talking about?"

Dave laughed at Kurt's haughtiness. "What was I thinking?" he joked back. "I better get back inside and spend some time with my dad. And you need to get home so you can start filling out applications."

"Of course," Kurt replied as he opened the driver's side door. He went to climb in and then turned back to look at Dave. "Thank you. For looking up all those internships and printing out the applications and everything."

"No problem, Fancy. A deal's a deal, right?"

"Right," Kurt said as a small smile graced his lips.

"I'll talk to you later, Fancy," Dave said with a slight nod.

"Okay. Night, Dave," Kurt said as he finally climbed in his vehicle.

"Night, Kurt," Dave echoed as he turned on his heel to walk back toward the house. Kurt watched Dave out of the corner of his eye as the boy made it back to the porch and turned to watch as Kurt backed out of the driveway and onto the main road. Kurt continued to keep an eye on Dave as he watched him drive down the street until there was no car left for Dave to see.


	3. Chapter 3

Blaine had cancelled on him the day before. Again.

At first the lying and canceling didn't particularly bother Kurt. He had no reason to believe that Blaine was lying to him with a hurtful intent and he trusted the other boy. At least that was what Kurt was telling himself. It was either that, or Kurt just honestly didn't care anymore and to think he had already gotten to that point in their relationship scared him a little.

Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew he and Blaine had a far from perfect relationship, but looking at the track records of the other couples of McKinley he had figured that theirs was pretty solid. Kurt knew that he and Blaine had some problems and that if they were given the opportunity they could most likely successfully work through them and come out on the other side stronger in their love for one another.

That was the biggest problem in their relationship, though. They _never_ worked through any of their problems. Nothing was ever talked about and nothing was ever really resolved. It was always just pushed to the side.

Kurt had thought that they were finally going to work through some things after the Chandler incident, but no. They didn't. It was just one more thing for them to sweep under the rug. At the time Kurt had thought of it as an innocent friendship, but as he looked back on it he had to admit that a part of him did it to try and shake things up. He thought if his boyfriend saw that someone else was interested, that Blaine would get territorial. He though that Blaine would claim Kurt as his and then proceed to ravish and shower Kurt with love and affection. But Kurt was wrong. It just gave Blaine something to sing about and another chance to play victim.

He wasn't lying when he told Blaine that he envisioned their future together. He wanted to go off to New York this year and go to NYADA and live his dream. He wanted to wait there for Blaine to join him and then they could start the rest of their lives together. He did want to be sitting in a nursing home with Blaine at his side. He wanted to spend his entire life with his high school sweetheart and first love. He could picture their lives together. No one spends that much time in a relationship if they don't want a future with the other person, right?

But Kurt was beginning to realize that just because he wants something and can envision it, doesn't mean it will turn out that way. Things change. People change. Kurt was beginning to see that change has a domino effect and one part of his envisioned future had changed. Now he was just waiting to see how that one change would alter everything else.

He wasn't sure if it would be for the better or for the worse.

* * *

Kurt sat at a table at the Lima Bean by himself. It was late morning so the coffee shop was fairly vacant as it was between the busy times of the early morning work rush and the lunch time rush. Blaine had called earlier that morning to try and apologize for having to cancel on their plans the day before and suggested that they could do something today.

Kurt declined.

It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his boyfriend. At least that is what he was telling himself. A lot of couples go through a phase where they drift apart from each other for a little while. Kurt just needed to figure things out all on his own.

He still wasn't sure what he was going to do once the fall came around and last time he and Blaine had tried to discuss Kurt's options it had lead to a fight. It just seemed logical to Kurt that he should figure things out without factoring in Blaine, right now.

For a while Kurt looked at community colleges in the area. It wasn't ideal, but at this point it seemed like his only option. He could get some easy classes out of the way that way when he finally did go off to school in New York he could focus on the harder classes he would have to take.

That was if he even got into a school in New York.

Kurt didn't like the idea that he would have to spend another year in Lima. He wanted out. Which was why his table was covered in papers. They were the papers that Dave had given him only a few days before. He filled out the applications to intern with theatre groups first. He had spent so much time envisioning his future on the stage that it only seemed natural to jump right into filling those out, but as he filled in his information for the forms his sight kept wandering over to another application he had placed on the side. It was for an internship at Vogue.

Kurt had thought it was weird that David had included that particular application. It was the only one that didn't have anything to do with theatre and Kurt even thought about just throwing it away since it didn't really fit into his envisioned future. He wanted to work on the stage. It was what he had planned for himself this entire year. But he kept the application. Even when he was going through them this morning to figure out which applications he would fill out first, it had some how ended up in his bag almost as if it grew legs and walked right into it.

Vogue wasn't the stage. It didn't fit into his plan. His plan was to go to New York. Go to NYADA. Have Blaine join him. Become famous. Live life as a famous Broadway star with his high school sweetheart. It was a simple and concise plan. But two of those steps had already been missed. Could he really alter his plan that much?

Kurt was so enraptured in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the sudden visitor at his table.

"Hey, Gay Face. I am so glad I ran into you here. You see, a friend of mine is having a costume party this weekend and I could really use some insight on how to dress like a frigid bitchy ice queen. What do you say? Any pointers?" Sebastian said with a crooked and sly smile.

"Oh Sebastian. You flatter me," Kurt said sarcastically as he gathered his mess and stood up to leave.

"Hey! Wait! I'm sorry. I really need to stop doing that," Sebastian quickly as he reached out an arm to try and stop Kurt from leaving. Kurt continued to look at the Warbler skeptically. "Blaine said that I should really try to stop being such an ass to you and that we should be friends. What can I say? At this point it has just become a bit of a reflex."

"Why did Blaine suggest that we be friends?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not really sure, but I figured that I should humor him. It just makes things easier, you know?" Sebastian finished with a smug smile.

"No. Exactly why do you need to make things easier?"

"Well now that Blaine and I are hanging out regularly, I figured that if I were to extend the metaphorical olive branch to you then it would lighten up some of the awkwardness that me and Blaine run into on our outings," Sebastian said as he inspected his shoulder and picked off a lone piece of lint that was found there.

"Why are you and Blaine hanging out anyway?" Kurt asked as he crossed his arms across his chest, his mess on the table completely forgotten.

"We're friends. It is what friends tend to do. Often, a common interest is found and then activities and discussions are based around the common interest in order to facilitate the friendship and expound on any more common interests that the two participating parties may share."

"So you and Blaine hang out often then? To 'facilitate' your friendship?" Kurt asked with a sharp tone to his voice.

"Yeah. We hung out just yesterday. Went to see a matinee and then got coffee afterwards," Sebastian replied.

Kurt felt like he had been slapped in the face.

It was one thing to suspect your boyfriend of lying to you. Having it confirmed by one of the few people you can't stand? … That was a low blow.

"I have to go," Kurt said as he finished gathering his things and shoving them into his bag. He left the Lima Bean hurriedly, ignoring the smirk set firmly onto Sebastian's face as the Warbler sat at Kurt's recently emptied table and sipped his drink.

* * *

He thought about sending Blaine a text to make sure he was home first, but having the element of surprise on his side could only help him at this point. As he stepped out of his vehicle to approach the Anderson household he realized that the element of surprise was really all he had. He still didn't know what he was going to say.

His hand shook a little more than he wanted to admit as he raised it up to the doorbell. Less than a minute later the door opened to reveal a smiling and confused Blaine.

"Hey! I thought you said you didn't want to hang out or do anything today," Blaine said with his characteristic adorably confused face.

"I changed my mind," Kurt said as he made his way around Blaine and into the house's main hallway. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Not at all. I was just watching television. I would love for you to join me," Blaine said as he began to make his way to the family room where the T.V. kept residence.

"Actually I had other plans, Blaine."

"Oh. Um. Ok. I mean … my dad is going to be home soon, but we have a little over half an hour if you want to go up to my room."

"No," Kurt said quickly and sighed. "I mean … we can go up to your room, but I really need to talk to you Blaine," Kurt said quickly.

"Okay," Blaine said quietly with a hint of hesitation.

The two boys made their way upstairs to the youngest Anderson's room. Once they were inside Blaine made his way over to his bed and sat on the edge, leaving enough room for Kurt to sit next to him. Kurt ignored the obvious invitation and deposited his bag next to the desk in the room and took a seat in the nearby chair.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Blaine asked, though his tone sounded as if he had a hint of what their conversation was about to entail.

"I lied earlier," Kurt admitted. "I told you I was busy today and that that was the reason I couldn't do anything with you, but that was a lie."

"It's okay, Kurt. It's fine. We can do something some other time."

"That's not the point, Blaine. I went to the Lima Bean and ran into a friend of yours. Sebastian," Kurt said as he stared at Blaine pointedly.

"Oh," Blaine said slowly, but offered no other comment.

"Why didn't you tell me you were spending time with him, Blaine?" Kurt asked as the mild anger he felt slipped into his tone. "You lied to me and cancelled our plans yesterday to spend the day with him instead. How many other times did you blow me off for him?"

"You aren't innocent either, Kurt. You see Karofsky more than you see me."

"But I never lied about seeing Dave. I told you I was helping him study for his tests. You always knew. Besides I wouldn't be seeing him so much if my boyfriend didn't always cancel our plans to go hang out with a snarky asshole!"

"Well maybe I wouldn't cancel our plans if I felt like my boyfriend wasn't putting his tormentor ahead of me," Blaine said exasperated.

"Is that what all this is about? You're jealous of Dave?" Kurt asked.

"Of course I am jealous of Dave. You talk about him all the time and you are always going on about how he has come so far-"

"Because he is my friend and I am proud of him. I also talk about how proud I am of Finn for unloading the dishwasher when it is his turn. Are you going to be jealous of him too?"

"Well you were infatuated with him once. Can you blame me?"

"I can't believe you. Once again you are turning everything on me. It is all my fault even though _you_ are the one who is lying and going behind my back," Kurt said angrily.

"I just wish I didn't feel like I don't know who you are anymore," Blaine said as he looked directly in Kurt's eyes.

There was once a time when a look from Blaine would have stirred something in Kurt. No matter whether the look was flirty, loving or angry Kurt's body would have had a visceral reaction to just having those eyes trained on him. Now he just felt indifferent.

"Maybe you aren't the only one that feels that way," Kurt whispered.

The two boys sat in silence, neither knowing what to say, until a noise was heard from downstairs.

"Blaine! I'm home. Is that Kurt's vehicle outside?" Blaine's dad said.

Kurt quickly grabbed his bag and exited the room to go downstairs.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson. Yes that is mine, but I was just leaving," Kurt said as he came down the stairs and saw the older man. It was easy to see where Blaine got his looks. It was as if he was a clone of the older man. Kurt was pretty sure they even used the same hair gel.

"Oh. Can't you stay for dinner? We haven't seen you around here much these past few weeks."

"Kurt has some things he needs to do for his step-mom, Dad."

Kurt looked over at Blaine. He felt a short stab of hurt that the other boy didn't even try to keep Kurt around. "Yeah. She's wanting to try out a new recipe and I offered my help."

"Well hopefully we will see you around again soon," Blaine's dad said as he gave the boys a nod and walked further into the house toward his office.

Kurt opened the front door to leave and was surprised when Blaine followed him out.

"What does this mean?" Blaine asked as looked up at Kurt.

"I don't know," Kurt answered honestly and shifted his bag onto his other shoulder just to do something in the awkward silence.

"I don't want to do anything we will regret," Blaine admitted.

"I don't either."

"Maybe we need to take some time to think about what we really want," Blaine suggested as he looked down at his feet.

"You want to take a break?" Kurt asked.

"If that's what you want to call it. Look Kurt you are still helping Karofsky with his studying and this way you can devote yourself to helping him. His test is in a couple weeks. After that we can meet up and decide where to go from there."

Kurt scoffed. "And I am sure you will find something to fill your time while I am helping David try to do well on his ACT," Kurt said bitterly.

"I haven't cheated on you. And I won't."

"I wasn't implying that you had or that you would, but the fact that you go there without me even saying anything about it means that it is at least on your mind," Kurt stated.

Blaine looked away guiltily.

Kurt sighed and took a step closer to the other boy. "We take a break. Think about what we are doing. In a few weeks we meet at the Lima Bean and we can just go from there."

Blaine looked up and Kurt could see the tears that tried to escape. "Okay."

Both boys shared a quick hug and a chaste kiss before Kurt finally turned away and got into his car.

As he drove away from the Anderson house he couldn't say whether or not Blaine had waited outside or had already gone in by the time Kurt had reached the end of the road because Kurt kept his eyes straight ahead toward his destination the entire time.


	4. Chapter 4

Kurt did his best to keep busy over the next few weeks. When he wasn't helping out around the house or at his father's garage, he was spending a substantial amount of time at the Karofsky household.

At first David had been confused, and rightly so.

"_I mean. I don't mind you coming over 4 days in a row, but I could really use a day off of studying," David had said into the phone. Kurt had been over at the Karofsky's the previous day and the two days before that and after cleaning his house and rearranging his shoe collection he called David asking if he should come over for another study session._

"_Oh," Kurt had sighed into the phone. He tried to hide the slight sound of disappointment that was trying to creep its way into his voice. "That's fine. I was just sitting around here doing nothing and just wanted to see if you needed to work on your essay writing or anything today."_

"_So you're bored and you wanted to come over to help me study for the fourth time this week? What's going on, Kurt? I mean. I am flattered that you are so intent on helping me out, but wouldn't you rather hang out with your glee club friends or, you know… your boyfriend?" David had asked, his tone curious. _

"_Everyone is pretty much gone already. And Blaine… Well Blaine and I are taking some time apart. Besides, you may not have been in glee with me, but I do consider you a friend and I just want to help you," Kurt explained quickly. _

_There was a minute or two of silence on the other end and Kurt wasn't sure what David was thinking. Had Kurt been presumptuous in claiming that they were friends? They certainly felt like friends now that they had continued to keep in touch over the last month. Was he being too pushy with David? He didn't want to pressure the boy into a friendship. Kurt was about to come up with a hasty excuse for needing to get off the phone when he heard Dave let out a small breath on the other end of the line and began speaking. _

"_I'll tell you what. You can come over today, but only on two conditions. Number one: we don't study today. At all. We can watch television or maybe a movie. Or we can clean out my closet. Hell, you can even teach me how to knit if you want, but I need a break from the studying."_

_Kurt laughed. "Okay. That is doable, although I prefer the art of crochet. What is the other condition?"_

"_When my dad asks you to stay for dinner, you will say yes."_

"_Okay," Kurt said into the phone with a slight smile. "I can agree to those terms."_

* * *

Kurt spent many more nights at the Karofsky household since that first night of just watching television and joining the Karofsky men for dinner. On occasion he and David would actually study, but now Kurt didn't need the pretense of helping Dave study just so he could get out of his house. It wasn't as if he was really missed around there anyway.

Finn had left for his training a few weeks into the summer and Carole began joining his father on his trips to D.C. instead of staying around the house. There wasn't too much for her to do without Finn there and making sure he didn't burn down the house had actually been her number one job. Kurt knew the distance his dad's responsibilities required was difficult for his father and step-mother, so he had actually urged Carole to join his father frequently. Burt was suspicious at first, but his apprehension died down after he asked Kurt why he hadn't seen Blaine around in a while.

It didn't particularly bother Kurt that everyone around him continued on living their lives even though his felt like it was at a stand still. He still got to see his dad and Carole on the weekends, he was free to go on shopping trips with Mercedes whenever she was back in town from L.A., and the empty house was relaxing at times. However, that didn't mean he preferred to spend the majority of his time there.

Kurt sat at the Karofsky table and reflected on how he thought he would be spending the entire summer packing up his belongings in preparation for his big move to New York. The thought really highlighted how different his summer was turning out to be.

"Okay. I'm done," David said as he finished his final prep test and pushed it to Kurt on the other side of the table. His test was tomorrow and his nerves were evident.

"Good," Kurt said as he picked up the paper David had filled the answers onto. He took a brief look at the paper in his hands before crumpling it up into a ball.

"Hey! Aren't you going to check the answers?" Dave asked dubiously.

"No. Because I am sure you did fine. You have _been_ doing great, David. You are going to walk into that school tomorrow and rock the ACT. You don't need to check your answers to yet another practice test. You need to relax and stop psyching yourself out."

"Everything is kind of depending on how well I do tomorrow. Sorry for being a little wound up," David said bitterly.

Kurt pursed his lips. "I'm going to ignore that little display of attitude because I know you are nervous. You need to listen to me though, David," Kurt said as he rounded the table to sit in the empty chair next to Dave. "You just need to relax. Tomorrow you will take the test and you will do fine. Just do what you have been doing these last few months. Answer the stuff you know, go back to the ones you skipped after you finish and do not leave anything blank. A guess is better than no answer at all. If you want I can meet you at the Lima Bean after you get out. I will treat you to a celebratory coffee. Black, of course. With no sugar or anything else, since you seem to have an aversion to the flavored varieties." Kurt joked.

"Coffee should be taken plain or slightly sweetened… It shouldn't taste like a dessert," Dave replied as a slight smile came to his face.

Kurt smiled and huffed out a small laugh. "We are just going to agree to disagree and leave it at that."

"Thanks for doing all of this Kurt. I really appreciate it. You know… Helping me and all."

"We had a deal right? To help each other," Kurt said with a genuine smile.

"Speaking of… How are the applications coming along? Were you able to find any that you liked?" Dave asked. Kurt knew the other boy needed to be distracted and if moving the topic of conversation over to his life for a moment would help David then he would do it.

"I have sent off a few. The ones where I would be doing crew for the smaller production companies and theatre groups were easy enough to fill out so I did those first. I figure they are also my best chance at actually hearing something back. I'm actually going to be meeting Rachel later and I'm going to ask for her help filling out some of the others," Kurt replied.

"That's great! I'm sure you'll hear back from some of them," David said with sincere happiness. "What about the fashion internships. I put a few of those in there too didn't I?"

"Yeah. I'm not so sure about those. I always dreamed of being on Broadway, but..."

"Oh. Sorry. I just figured those might appeal to you. You always dress to impress and you have an eye for fashion. I just thought it might be a good fit. Something to get you to New York if the theatre track didn't work out," Dave said breezily.

"It was a good idea," Kurt said genuinely. "Considerate."

"I mean it was worth a shot anyway. I just wanted to help give you as many options as possible."

Kurt sighed and ran his hands through his hair before speaking. "I might apply to them. I never really thought about it. I just always wanted to go to New York and take Broadway by storm. I don't know if working lights in an off-off-off-Broadway production is a much better alternative though. In the end I think I just want to go with whatever feels right and whatever will get me out of here."

"I think you can do anything you want, so going with what feels right seems to be the best option," Dave replied softly.

Kurt smiled at the boy next to him. "Thanks, David."

Dave shrugged. "I didn't do much. Just printed out some papers."

"And I didn't do much either. Just checked over your tests and essays. If you are allowed to feel grateful for me helping you, then I am allowed to feel grateful for you helping me," Kurt said as held David's gaze. "Remember. We are friends. We don't have a debt that we owe the other. We are just helping out."

"Well thanks for helping me. I bet you're ready for tomorrow though… Now that I am done with studying you won't have to come over so much," David said. It was obvious he was trying to be nonchalant, but Kurt could tell what Dave was doing.

"I don't know about that. I'll probably still come over every once in a while. There are some musicals that you have yet to see and I wouldn't be a true friend if I let you go through life without seeing them," Kurt replied with a very matter-of-fact tone. "Face it, Karofsky. You aren't getting off the hook that easily."

Dave let out a mock sigh and Kurt saw the corners of his mouth shift slightly upward into a small grin. "Damn. I was so close."

Kurt let out a laugh as he began to gather his things. "Well as fun as this final study session was, I really do need to get going. I am meeting Rachel and if I am late she will just get worked up more than usual and it is just better to try and do whatever I need to in order to keep her crazy at its normal level."

"I understand. Berry is intense."

"That she is, David. That she is," Kurt said as he closed his bag and stood up to put it over his shoulder.

Dave pushed himself away from the table and stood up next to Kurt. "I'll walk you out," he said as he gestured to the front door.

"Thanks. But you don't always have to do that, you know. I have been to your house often enough that I can lead myself out. You don't always have to put everything aside to walk me to the door," Kurt said with a cheeky grin.

"Sorry for trying to show manners, Fancy. I thought you would be happy about it. It's concrete proof that meathead jocks _can_ be trained."

Kurt left out a soft sigh. "Wouldn't that be nice? I do believe you are the exception to the rule though. It has been almost 2 years and Finn and Noah still refuse to pick up after their 'veg out' sessions during a football game. You are a rare breed, David Karofsky. One day they may put you on display at a zoo and do a PBS special like they do with those monkeys that they teach sign language to."

David laughed and opened the front door for Kurt. "I would honored to be compared to the likes of Koko," he said sarcastically.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Kurt asked as he stood on the small porch in front of the Karofsky household.

"Yeah. I'll give you a call once I'm done and we can meet at the Lima Bean or something."

"I'll be there with bells on," Kurt replied with a smile and then turned to head to his truck.

"Do you mean that in the sense of the expression or will you actually have bells on? I can never tell with you and your fashion stuff," David asked as Kurt made it to his vehicle and unlocked the doors.

Kurt turned to look at the jock over his shoulder with a mock glare. "Bye, David," he said as he fought back a smile.

"See you later, Fancy." David said with a laugh as he began to make his way back into the house.

* * *

"I think it may be best if I leave all of my awards and trophies. As much as I would like to show off my skills and talent, they do not allow us to install shelves on the walls in the dorms and they just wouldn't look right all cramped together on a desk." Rachel said as she flitted about her room. She had come back from viewing apartments and dorms in New York with her fathers a few weeks before and already began the long process of packing away for college.

"That's probably wise. It would be a shame if your awards weren't displayed properly," Kurt said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Exactly! I knew you would understand. That is why I asked you to help me after all," Rachel said as she continued to move about her room and mark things based on their importance. "Your sticky note idea is genius, Kurt. This is making the whole packing process a lot easier."

Kurt sighed. "Glad to help." It hurt. Just months before Kurt had been going through all of his possessions to get ready for a big move. Now he wasn't even sure if he would ever get there.

He was happy for Rachel. She was his friend and it was great that her dream was coming true, but it was hard not to feel bitter and he did his best to keep that bitterness hidden. Try as he might, Rachel still caught on to his thoughts. "You know… You could still go with me. I am not a fan of living in the dorms, but it is really all I would be able to afford. But if we went to New York together then we could get an apartment. I would have room for my trophies," she said excitedly.

"I would really like that Rachel. I am trying to work on that, but it still isn't a sure thing. I was actually hoping you could help me with that," Kurt replied.

Rachel's head tilted to the side in an inquisitive gesture. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well with the help of … a friend, I have decided to apply for internships based in New York. I really want to go, but I can't leave without a plan. I've already sent off some applications to work as a techie for some small theatre companies, but there are some acting internships and you are an expert on putting together an impressive résumé for those kind of things."

"Kurt! That's great! Of course I'll help you. And this could be a great way to add more things to your NYADA application we you re-apply for the spring semester," Rachel said excitedly as she moved over to where Kurt was getting the applications he needed help with from his bag.

"_If_ I get an internship, Rachel. _If._ We do not need to be counting any chickens, okay," Kurt said in an attempt to quell Rachel's sudden burst of excitement.

Rachel smiled at Kurt as she began to shuffle through the papers Kurt had brought with him. "These all look to be pretty standard. It shouldn't be too difficult to come up with an impressive résumé," Rachel said with a smile at Kurt before she turned her attention back to the papers. "What's this?"

"What?" Kurt asked as he moved to stand beside Rachel so he could she what she was asking about. He isn't sure how it had gotten mixed in with the acting internship applications, but in Rachel Berry's hand was the application for the Vogue internship.

"Sorry," Kurt said as he took the application from Rachel. "I don't know how that got in there."

"Are you applying for an internship at Vogue, as well?"

"No. I don't know. I might? I mean. I would really like to do theatre, but if everything else fell flat it seems like it could be a great alternative, right?" Kurt asked.

"Yes! You should apply for everything, Kurt. The more applications and internships you apply for, the more likely you are to hear back from one. And you like fashion. It would be a good fit."

"Maybe," Kurt said softly. "Dave gave me a lot of applications for many different things. I still don't even know how it got mixed in with all the others."

"Dave?"

Kurt froze. "Um. Yeah. David Karofsky. He's the friend that has been helping me."

It wasn't that Kurt was ashamed of his new friendship with David. He just didn't know how everyone would react so he decided to keep people on a 'need-to-know' basis.

"Really?" Rachel asked disbelievingly. "That's interesting."

"We met up at the beginning of summer and we have been helping each other out. We each have goals and we are helping each other achieve them. Hence all the applications he printed out for me."

"Wait. David did all this? Wow. So then, if this is how he is helping you then what have you been doing to help him?" Rachel asked. She seemed to be genuinely interested. Kurt was surprised at how Rachel took the news in stride and didn't feel the need to make a comment or remark. It was a little unlike Rachel, but Kurt didn't really want to question it. He just took her reaction as a win and went with it.

"He is hoping to go to Ohio State in Columbus. He fell behind in school after… well after… ," Kurt couldn't bring himself to finish the statement, but a solemn nod from Rachel was enough to let him know that she understood what he was saying. For that he was grateful. "Anyway. He still wants to go away for college, but his dad isn't comfortable with the idea of him living in a new place alone so soon after everything happened. He was able to finish up his high school courses and he has been doing a lot better with his therapy so he is hoping that if he does well enough on his ACT then he could get a scholarship and his dad will be more willing to let him go to school at the Columbus campus instead of having to stay here and go to Lima.I have just been helping him with studying for his test and acting as a pseudo exam proctor. He goes to take the test tomorrow."

"That's very nice of you Kurt," Rachel stated with a small smile.

"I'm just helping out a friend, Rachel. I would do it for any one of my friends," Kurt said softly.

"Well. I wonder what Blaine thinks about your new friendship," she said with a slight smirk.

"Blaine knows. If he doesn't like it then that is his problem. It doesn't really matter what he thinks, though. Seeing as we haven't spoken in weeks."

"What?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"A few weeks ago Blaine and I decided that we needed some space to think about what we wanted," Kurt said uneasily. "We got into an argument about me going to New York. He was… less than supportive. He wanted me to stay here with him and then the two of us would just move to New York next year. I was not pleased with his plan. Then he started to cancel his plans with me so he could hang out with Sebastian."

"Oh my god, Kurt. All of this happened while I was gone? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's my life Rachel," Kurt stated simply. "You didn't need to know."

"So… What are you going to do?"

"About Blaine? I don't know," Kurt sighs.

"Well. If it makes you feel any better I am for whatever option lets you come with me to New York," Rachel replied with a timid smile.

Kurt huffed at Rachel good-naturedly before feeling seriousness take over him. "Now that we've all graduated we have to learn how to make the tough decisions, don't we?"

"Yeah. I kind of wish we could go back and warn ourselves about all of it."

"Do you think it gets any easier? Making the tough decisions?" Kurt asked as he and Rachel sat down on her bed next to each other.

"I don't know," Rachel replied softly. "But I really hope so."


	5. Chapter 5

Dave's test went well. At least that is what he thought. It was over and now they just had to wait. David's scores would be sent to the university the same time they were sent to him so he was understandably a little on edge about the whole thing. Kurt tried his best to distract him. The two of them continued to meet for coffee and Kurt went over to the Karofsky household a couple nights week to continue educating David on the joy of musicals. Dave was a begrudging student. Kurt was relieved that they were able to continue hanging out so easily without the pretense of studying. He was even more relieved that he was able to be there for his friend.

Kurt's summer was looking to turn out better than he had thought it would. A week prior he had sent off the last of the applications for the internships he was applying for in New York, including the ones that had nothing to do with theatre. Kurt wanted to go to New York. He didn't care how he got there.

Everything moved on. Kurt got to see his father and Carole on the weekends when they came home. He spent a few days at the mall with Mercedes and Tina whenever Mercedes was actually in town. He continued to help Rachel pack all her belongings for her big move and instead of depressing him it made his resolve to join her just that much more secure.

It was a pleasant little bubble. A bubble that finally popped as June ended.

"David, stop worrying. I am sure you did great," Kurt said as he tried to calm the jittery boy sitting across from him. The two were sitting at what had become their regular table near the window at the Lima Bean.

"It has been almost 3 weeks and I still haven't heard anything about my scores or anything from the university. I tanked. I know I did. They aren't even wasting their time and effort to let me know that I tanked,"

"Or… The scores just haven't been sent out yet. That option seems more likely."

"I know. I am just nervous. This is something that is important to me and I just don't have a good track record with things panning out for me, you know?"

"I'm sorry. I know this is important to you and I know you are nervous. You just need to relax. At this point worrying about it won't change anything. So relax."

"Yeah. Okay. I'll try," Dave said with a sigh. "Distract me. How is everyone? Your dad? Finn? Hell, You can tell me all about Berry's existential crisis over choosing the right comforter."

Kurt laughed softly. "My dad is doing great. He and Carole come home on the weekends and I get to see them. I think he feels bad about leaving me here alone, but I really don't mind. Plus I told him that I regularly go over to your house and he's glad that I'm not completely alone while he is gone."

"And he's cool with that? You hanging out with me?"

"Yes, David. I've told him about how I was helping you study. He's glad that things seem to be better for you now. He even offered to have you and your dad over for dinner sometime, but I told him that right now would not be a good time to do that since you are still stressed out over waiting to hear back from OSU. I was able to call him off for now, but I am giving you fair warning because I am sure he will bring it up again sometime sooner or later," Kurt said delicately.

Dave laughed. "Thanks. And Hudson? How is he doing?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. He doesn't really write home a lot and when he does it is just to let his mom know he is alive and well. Finn doesn't even write to Rachel. It is driving her crazy and in turn it is driving me crazy because she is constantly trying to get information from me, but I have none to give her. A sane Rachel is hard enough to deal with. I have just been trying to keep her busy with packing and getting ready for her move to New York. "

"That's kind of a dick move on Finn's part. No offense," Dave amended quickly.

"None taken. And while I agree I can also see why he did it. Rachel was willing to stay here in Lima for him so they could be together. He couldn't let her do that. While his method wasn't the best, he had good intentions."

"Yeah. I can see that. I would hate to be the one to hold someone back from their dreams or from reaching their full potential. The idea that they could possibly resent you for it later on. It's gotta suck."

Kurt slowly nodded. "Okay. Enough with depressing topics. Think of something happy."

Dave sat for a moment with a look of slight concentration before he spoke up. "I heard from a guy I used to talk a lot to at Scandals. I don't really go there anymore, but I try to keep in touch. Apparently they are planning a barbeque for the 4th of July. I'm thinking about going. It will be nice to see some familiar faces."

"That's great, David. It is really surreal how fast this summer has gone by. I can't believe it is almost July. I don't have a clue if I am even going to do anything for the 4th."

"Come on. The 4th of July is great. It is a holiday that you don't _have_ to spend with family, there are barbeques and good food, and then at the end of it all you get to watch things explode into pretty balls of color and light."

Kurt smirked. "Those are all very grown up reasons to like the holiday."

"It's the little things," Dave said with a laugh before his eyes traveled to an area behind Kurt and his expression sobered.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked and Dave merely pointed were he was looking.

Kurt turned to see what had caught Dave's attention and felt his blood run cold.

It was Blaine. And Sebastian.

Kurt and Blaine had agreed that they had needed time apart. That they were taking a break. They hadn't spoken since then. Kurt felt guilty. He had hoped that if he ignored the problem it would go away or resolve itself. He would be lying if he said he didn't think about Blaine in their time apart, but the truth was that he didn't think of him nearly as much as someone who wanted to get back together with their boyfriend. It was then that Blaine's gaze shifted and landed on Kurt. Kurt turned back to David and heaved a sigh.

"He's coming this way. Do I need to go?" Dave asked quietly.

"Yes. I mean no. I need to talk to Blaine, but do you think you could wait around for me?"

"Okay, Fancy. I'll just be outside in my truck," Dave told Kurt as he got up from his seat. "Anderson," Kurt heard Dave say and could imagine him giving the shorter boy a nod in that way that 'dudes' do. Before Kurt knew it the seat across from him was occupied by Blaine.

"Hey," Blaine said softly as the two sat awkwardly at the table.

Kurt took in a deep breath, not really knowing where to start but as he exhaled words began pouring out. "I'm sorry I never called you. I know we were supposed to only be on break for a few weeks. Instead it has been over a month. I'm sorry."

"Kurt. It isn't your fault. It's not like I tried to contact you either," Blaine replied.

"I know, but it has been over a month," Kurt said. "How have you been?"

"Good," Blaine said with a slight nod. "I've been hanging out with Sebastain and some of the Warblers. I haven't been able to see a lot of them since I started going to McKinley. I didn't realize how much I missed hanging out with them."

It stung Kurt to know that the reason Blaine didn't hang out with his old friends was because of him. "I'm glad," He said softly.

"I miss you, Kurt."

"Blaine, I-,"

"No. Please, Kurt. I need to say this. I miss you. I do. But over the past month I realized… I didn't miss my boyfriend, Kurt. I missed my friend. I missed the guy I could call and talk to about anything."

"I missed my friend, too," Kurt said with tears coming to his eyes. "I want you in my life, Blaine. But I don't think I can be your boyfriend. It was too much work. Shouldn't dating be easy? I mean. I know relationships require some work, but aren't some things just supposed to be effortless?"

"I don't know. But I understand what you are saying. I just don't understand how things can change so quickly. Just a few months ago we were vowing to be together forever."

"We also thought long-distance was something we could handle. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you couldn't tell me the truth when we were still in the same city. I'm not sure what would have happened if I was all the way in New York. But I do really care about you, Blaine. And I want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy too. I want you to be able to go to New York. I realize now that what I said two months ago was stupid. I don't think anyone should hold you back, Kurt."

"Thank you," Kurt said with a small smile.

"So how have you been?" Blaine asked.

"Good. I see my dad and Carole when they come in, I hang out with Mercedes when I can, and I've been helping Rachel get ready for her move."

"And David."

"What about David?"

"I guess the two of you have been seeing a lot of each other?"

"It isn't like that Blaine. He's a friend."

"I wasn't trying to insinuate anything. Honest," Blaine said with a smirk.

"Yes. David and I have gotten very close over the summer. He is a great friend."

"I'm glad," Blaine said honestly.

Kurt nodded and fidgeted with his coffee cup before asking. "And you and Sebastian? I guess the two of you have grown rather close as well?"

"I think I really like Sebastian," Blaine blurted out. "I just want to be truthful with you. I know you don't like the guy, but he really has changed in the last few months."

"That's … great,"

Blaine laughed. "You don't have to make it sound so forced."

"We are just now having the official break up talk and you want me to giggle and coo over the fact that you already moved on to the one person I can't stand?"

"I'm sorry. But you know as well as I do that we were done before today," Blaine said solemnly. "I think if you gave Seb a chance you would see just how much he has changed."

"I'll have to see it to believe it," Kurt said with a laugh.

"I think you've already seen just how much people can change," Blaine said as he looked out the window toward David's truck.

"There isn't anything going on between David and I," Kurt said.

Blaine turned his attention back to Kurt with a small smirk. "Sure," he said gently. "Sebastian is waiting for me. And you have someone waiting for you," Blaine said as he got up from his seat and Kurt soon followed his actions.

"Yeah. It really was good to see you Blaine. And I am glad we had this talk. I hope after some time we can see each other again and not have it be so awkward."

"I think we just need a little time, Kurt. I'll always love you, though."

"And I'll always love you," Kurt said as he moved in to hug Blaine.

The two quickly said their goodbyes and Kurt left the coffee shop and made his way toward David's truck. Kurt had ridden with Dave to the Lima Bean so he wasn't surprised to find the passenger side door already unlocked and waiting for him. He pulled himself up into the cab of the truck and pointedly ignored the way David stared at him.

"How'd it go?" David asked quietly.

"We broke up, but we are going to stay friends."

"That sucks. Do you want me to take you home?"

"Yeah. I would like to go home," Kurt said. He felt sad, but he didn't feel as sad as he had expected. It was a weird feeling. He wondered if the sadness would be more prominent when he was alone.

"I know it probably doesn't help, but if it is any consolation, I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Kurt said with a soft sigh. "I'm alright."


	6. Chapter 6

For the next week, Kurt was in a fog. He continued to do all of his normal activities, but it was obvious that he was somewhere else in his head. He felt sad over the end of his relationship, but he felt like he should be more upset than he actually was and that was the main thing that was bothering him. He knew that David could tell something was wrong, but the other boy didn't bring it up and just let Kurt pick their weekly movie without fighting against the decision.

Kurt knew it was bad when even his father asked what was wrong with him. Kurt of course told him about the break-up and his dad was as supportive as he could be and asked if he was going to be okay. Kurt had told him he would be okay. And he knew he would be okay. And that was what bothered him. A fresh break-up was supposed to leave you broken. He was supposed to cry over it. But since leaving the Lima Bean that day after talking to Blaine, Kurt had not shed one tear over the fact.

It was confusing.

Everyone had left him alone to handle things, but that changed when he answered his door during the afternoon on the Fourth of July.

"You. Me. Scandals Fourth of July Barbecue. Let's go," Dave had said excitedly as Kurt answered the door.

"No, David. I wasn't even invited. I am not a regular there. I'm not going to know anybody."

"I'm not a regular anymore. But I was invited and I am inviting you. And you will know me. Please come. It'll be fun."

"I highly doubt that. And why are you just assuming I don't already have plans for tonight?"

"Is your dad in town? Do you have plans with the family?"

"My dad is in town, but no we don't have plans. I think he was just planning on staying around here and relaxing."

"Then you can come with me."

"I don't know," Kurt said with a sigh.

"Come on, man. I know you and Blaine broke up last week and you are still bent out of shape over it, but it is the 4th of July! You deserve to have some fun. As your friend I declare that today you shan't be sad," Dave said animatedly.

Kurt couldn't help the small smile that crept its way onto his face. " I _shan't_ be sad? That is some interesting word usage there. You pick that up from your test prep books?" Kurt mocked back.

"No. Just... 'Shan't' just made it sound more official, I guess? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that it is going to be a great night. I will make sure of it," Dave said with a cocky smile. Kurt hated Dave's cocky smile.

"You can't force me to join you," Kurt said as his hand settled on his hip.

"No. But I am willing to use my entire artillery of promises to entice you into joining me," Dave said as he slowly raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. _'It's not fair,_' Kurt thought to himself. '_There is no way those are natural_.'

"Your whole artillery?" Kurt said as his interest was only slightly peaked. "Well I bet I will enjoy hearing these promises that will not make me want to come to whatever spectacle you plan on dragging me to."

"I promise to sit through a musical marathon. Pick any five movies and I am there. I will even bring the popcorn."

"Please. I have already made you sit through plenty of different musicals this summer and as much as I enjoy watching musicals, the idea of sitting through five in a row while you sit there and whine the whole time isn't a very appealing thought."

"I also promise not to complain," Dave amended. Seeing that his addition didn't help he continued with his promises. "Also. Next time we are at the Lima Bean I will try one of those frilly coffee drinks you are always trying to push onto me."

Kurt chuckled. "Please. I know deep down you really want to try one, but don't want to appear less 'macho'. You are using this as a round-about way to get what you really want."

"Not true! Coffee shouldn't taste like a dessert. It's coffee!" Dave argued with a good-natured laugh. "Fine. Okay... This is my trump card and I don't think you can turn it down," Dave said with his cocky smile back on his face.

"Give it to me. I can't wait to prove you wrong."

"I promise to let you give me a make-over. I will not complain and we can even drive all the way to the mall in Columbus so that we can go to the bigger mall."

_'Damn it.'_

Dave continued to smile as Kurt didn't outright reject. "Go upstairs and put on a fashionable and patriotic get-up and then hurry back down so that we can go."

"I never said I was going with you," Kurt said quickly.

"But you didn't say no either," Dave retorted.

Kurt stood there and brought his arms up to fold across the front of his chest as he regarded David. His foot began to tap as he surveyed the boy in front of him. David was dressed as he usually was. Baggy jeans. Baggy polo shirt. Baseball cap. It really was painful to look at. Kurt would be doing everyone a favor by giving in and doing a major re-haul on Dave's wardrobe. Wouldn't he?

_Yes._

"Fine. Give me 20 minutes," Kurt said as he turned on his heel and rushed off to his room.

* * *

Kurt's 20 minutes ended up being closer to an hour and by the time they rode up to the parking lot at Scandals it was late afternoon and the party was already in full swing. 4th of July was apparently a yearly celebration that the members of Scandals took part in. The bar's prime location just outside of the city limits was close to the park where they set off fireworks every year and had a good and unobstructed view of the show. As Kurt and Dave got out of Dave's truck, Kurt was able to take in his surroundings. Not much had changed about the bar itself since Kurt had last come. Part of the parking lot was covered in grills and tables set up with random assortments of foods. The deep thrum of music from inside the bar could be heard through the open doors so that those who chose to linger outside could hear it.

"Dave!"

Kurt wasn't sure where the call had come from at first, but the source made itself known as a burly, middle-aged man made his way over to the two of them.

"Charlie!" Dave replied with a bright smile. "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah. You went missing. We didn't even know if you were still in Ohio until Elliot mentioned seeing you last week. And I see you brought a friend. Is this the reason you haven't been coming to see us lately?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Kurt could see Dave's cheeks tinting red. "Um. No. He's just a friend. I brought him along with me. I didn't think anyone would mind."

"Of course we don't mind. The more the merrier! Come on. Burgers are almost done," Charlie said as he gestured for Kurt and Dave to follow him.

Kurt had been nervous about not knowing anyone, but introductions had been made and soon it was if he was one of their own. He enjoyed hearing the stories from the other men and he traded beauty secrets with a drag queen named Susan. After he got comfortable was when it happened.

"Princess! I didn't know you would be here tonight. It's like a little reunion."

Kurt turned slowly toward the source and was unsurprised to find Sebastian smiling at him with Blaine at his side.

"Kurt? What are you doing here? I didn't know you came to Scandals that often," Blaine asked.

"I don't," Kurt replied. "I came here with David."

Sebastian smirked. "Oh really now?" he asked as he turned toward Blaine. "See. I told you had no reason to feel bad for moving on so quickly. Kurt is doing the same."

"He's here with me as a friend," Dave said. Kurt hadn't even heard him come up behind him, but a small part of him was amused at the protective stance Dave had taken behind Kurt.

"Yeah. Dave brought me along. So I guess the two of you are regulars here?"

Blaine looked down as he shuffled his feet. "Well, Seb has been a regular longer than I have, but I have been coming with him a lot lately."

"Yeah. I am actually surprised to see you here, Dave. You haven't been around since… Well…" Sebastian said before letting the end of his sentence fade away.

"Yeah," Dave answered with a small cough.

Sebastian looked ashamed for a moment before speaking. " Hey. I'm going to go over and get us some drinks," he said as he addressed the small group the four of them had formed.

"I'll come with you," Dave said. "You want anything?" he asked as he turned toward Kurt.

"A Diet Coke would be great. Thanks."

"We'll be back. You two can… talk," Sebastian said as he and Dave made their way over to the cooler that stored the drinks.

Blaine and Kurt stood awkwardly for a few moments until Kurt finally spoke. "So are you and Sebastian official now?" he asked.

"No. We just hang out. We might try it out sooner or later, but for now we are just… seeing what happens."

"That's very progressive of you. Just make sure you use protection."

"Kurt it isn't like that," Blaine said with a small edge of defensiveness.

"It isn't? You mean to tell me that Sebastian is okay with not getting any? I have a hard time believing that."

"He really has changed, Kurt."

Kurt sighed and looked over to where Dave and Sebastian had walked off. The two were talking and while Kurt didn't really know the nature of their relationship, he was surprised to find them smiling and talking amicably together.

"Sebastian feels really bad for the way he treated Dave back months ago. They were both regulars and they crossed paths often. Apparently Dave wasn't an exception to Seb's snarky attitude and well… When everything went down with Dave, I guess it made Sebastian rethink how he treated people."

Kurt continued to watch the two talk as he listened to Blaine. "Dave doesn't seem to hold it against him," he observed out loud.

"I think the two of them have just done a lot of growing," Blaine replied before continuing with a whisper. "We have too, you know?"

Kurt turned back to look at Blaine and studied the other young man as he thought about his words. "Yeah. We really have haven't we? We've grown apart."

"As boyfriends, yes. But I think we could still be friends."

Kurt smiled. He had felt bitter that Blaine had been able to move on from their failed relationship so quickly, but as he looked at Blaine he couldn't make himself feel any more bitterness. While he had been upset at first, he truly did want Blaine to be happy. "Yeah," Kurt answered softly. "I think we can."

* * *

Dave and Sebastian had returned to where they left Kurt and Blaine and the tension from early in their encounter had completely dissipated. It was probably weird that Kurt was able to enjoy a barbeque with his recent ex-boyfriend, his old nemesis, and his old tormentor, but Kurt could find it in himself to care. After all, weirder things had happened to him before as he used to be a Cheerio and weirdness just seemed to follow Coach Sylvester and everything she was a part of.

The sun had finally set and someone shouted for everyone to get ready for the firework show.

"Well it was nice getting to see you guys," Blaine said. "I think Seb and I are going to watch the show from his car."

"Yeah. I brought my convertible so we could sit in it and just put the top down. You guys can join us if you want."

"No. It's fine," Kurt said quickly. "We can just watch from over here."

"I actually have some blankets that we can set up in the bed of my truck," Dave said.

"Okay. Cool," Blaine said. "Maybe we can all get together again later on this summer?" Blaine asked while looking at Kurt.

"Yeah. We'll keep in touch."

Blaine and Sebastian said their goodbyes and then they went their separate ways.

Kurt and Dave got back to the truck and Dave grabbed some blankets from the cab and began laying them out in the bed of his truck.

"Here. That way we can lie back and be comfortable," he stated.

"This is a little romantic, Dave. Be careful. Someone might think you're courting me," Kurt smirked as he settled down on the blanket Dave had laid down in the bed of his truck.

"Very funny, Fancy. Like anyone would look at the two of us and think that you'd go for a guy like me."

Kurt's smirked dropped instantly. "Why do you always do that to yourself, David?" Kurt asked as Dave finally settled next to him on the blanket, all sprawled out on his back with his arms behind his head creating a rest for it.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked with real confusion written on his face.

"You always ...demean yourself. You aren't a bad guy. Not anymore. You just need a bit more confidence and you could have any guy you want."

"That's not true, Kurt. And you know it," Dave retorted as he quickly turned his attention to the sky.

Kurt sat there, stunned at his stupidity. '_Way to shove your foot in your mouth,_' he thought to himself and he tried to desperately come up with a way to magically erase all the stupid things he had said in the last few minutes. As usual he came up with nothing.

"I can hear you thinking, Kurt. It's okay. I'm over it," Dave says as he turns his head to look at Kurt.

Kurt took in a deep breath and settled himself back to lie down next to David. "I'm sorry," he offered timidly as he looked to David.

Dave looked at him seriously for a moment before he replied in a soft whisper. "I know."

Both boys look up to the sky as they waited for the firework show to start. The awkward tension probably should have lingered a bit longer, but it had quickly dissipated and left the boys in a quiet and mostly comfortable silence. Suddenly the silence was broken as a distant thud was heard and the first firework made its way into the sky before it exploded into a sparkling ball of color.

"Look, Kurt. I just … I am really sorry about Blaine. I know you have been down and heartbroken this past week because of it and I just wanted you to have a good day. Lot of good that did," Dave said dejectedly as he continued to watch the colors bursting in the sky.

Kurt shifted his body so he was facing Dave on the blanket. He regarded the boy next to him as he gathered his thoughts. "You did give me a good day, Dave. I actually had a great day," Kurt said with a small smile.

Dave turned his head to look at Kurt as he spoke. "Really? Even after running into Blaine and Seb here at the barbeque?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," Kurt responded truthfully. "I am not going to lie. It was quite awkward at first, but I missed Blaine. He was one of my best friends before we started dating and … I missed that. I missed the easy relationship we had when we were just friends. Being together. Being boyfriends … it was just too much work. I'm relieved to know that we are able to just go back to the way things were before."

"You want that?" Dave asked seriously.

"Want what?"

"To just … go back to being friends? I mean. You guys were together for over a year," Dave stated simply. Kurt's eyes locked onto his face. The colors from the fireworks in the sky were casting playful shadows across the boy's features.

"Yes," Kurt spoke softly with his eyes still trained on Dave. "We were together for quite a while and we … shared a lot over the past year," Kurt said delicately. "I don't regret what Blaine and I had, but I am not short-sighted. I see that we work better as friends. I need someone I can share a spotlight with. Not someone who is constantly fighting me for it."

Dave laughed. "Sorry. I can't see you sharing a spotlight with anyone. Maybe you should just look for someone to plug the spotlight in for you."

Kurt joined Dave in laughing and their joy quietly subsided as they turned their attention back toward the sky.

There was a comfortable silence as the boys watched the firework show and soon the show had reached its climax. The tiny explosives were shooting up into the sky in close intervals and exploding into a beautiful chaos.

Kurt sighed as the show continued and finally turned back to David to speak. "I don't think I was really heartbroken over Blaine," he admitted to the boy next to him.

"What do mean?" Dave asked, confusion clearly showing all over his face. "You seemed pretty down this past week if you ask me. It's okay to admit that it hurts."

"But that's just it, David. I'm not hurting over losing Blaine. Because I haven't really lost him," Kurt explained. "I still love him and I want him in my life, but I realized a long time ago that it doesn't matter what role he plays in my life. I just want him there. Excuse the cliché, but I know that I love him it is just that I am not in love with him."

"I guess that makes sense in a way," Dave replied. "You just seemed really sad this week."

"I was," Kurt admitted and then looked to Dave. Now Dave looked even more confused and Kurt began to struggle with the words he needed to come up with to explain.

"So … You aren't sad about Blaine, but you are?" Dave asked.

"I think I'm just sad at the thought of losing my first romantic relationship," Kurt explained. "For so long I had wanted someone to hold my hand and kiss me and be my boyfriend. The fact that it is gone is heartbreaking, but the fact that I am not pining over Blaine is even more heartbreaking. Shouldn't I be a wreck?"

"Do you want to be wreak over it? I mean … Isn't it good that you don't have to hurt over it?"

"I guess. I just … I expected it to hurt. If it hurts then it was something that really mattered to you, but it really doesn't hurt. I just feel so lonely now," Kurt said as a single tear finally fell from his eye. He hadn't cried at all over the break up and it confused him, but now that he was able to admit the real reason he was sad over losing his first boyfriend the tears seemed to show up.

Dave turned and pulled Kurt into a hug. It was a little awkward since the two of them were lying down but as Kurt shifted to curl up into the embrace they seemed to lock into each other. Like two puzzle pieces.

"You're never alone, Kurt. You have so many friends that care about you and love you and your family will always be there for you. Don't ever forget that," Dave said as he rested his head on Kurt's as the smaller boy continued to cry.

"I just waited so long to finally have a boyfriend and now that is gone."

"Shh," Dave said as he continued to comfort Kurt. "You don't need to worry, Fancy. One day you are going to meet someone who deserves you and will be able to give you everything you ever wanted. You just have to wait a little longer than you thought."

Kurt wasn't sure why, but as he lay there in Dave's embrace he felt his heart constrict at the other boy's words. It still amazed Kurt at how Dave had gone from his worst tormentor to the one person who always seemed to be able to say the right thing.

"I suppose you're right," Kurt said as his tears had finally stopped. "I just hope he hurries. I'm getting tired of waiting," Kurt joked as he pulled back from David and turned his attention back to the sky.

They had missed the end of the firework show and didn't even notice.

"Hey. Give the guy a break. He will have to put up with you. He is probably just trying to get himself ready for the incredible force that is 'Kurt Hummel'," Dave joked back. "It's either that or he is perfecting the art of becoming a push-over."

"Excuse you! I cannot believe you are calling my future soul mate a pushover. How dare you assume he will be anything less than extraordinary? He has to be amazing in order to land a guy like me after all," Kurt finished with a smile. His mood had increased dramatically and he knew it had everything to do with the boy next to him.

Dave smiled at Kurt. "I'm sorry for insinuating that your future soul mate wouldn't be incredible. I am sure he will be. At least … He better be," David said softly. "You deserve someone incredible," he finished with a whisper.

Kurt smiled back at Dave a little too shyly. He wasn't exactly sure where the shyness came from. "Of course. Besides I most certainly don't want a pushover of a soul mate. I know I would always get my way anyway, but things would get pretty boring if I got my way easily. I want to know that I worked hard to get my way," Kurt said playfully.

"Nothing can ever be boring with you, can it?"

"Of course not. A boring life isn't really one worth living," Kurt said as he looked back over to David.

Dave turned his attention back to Kurt. "Well you can rest assured knowing that if they have you in their life, then it will never be boring."

The two boys lay there starring at each other for a while. Neither could say how long exactly it was for it felt like only minutes, yet it also felt like time had slowed down. They would have continued laying there for the rest of the night had Kurt's phone not gone off.

"It's my dad," Kurt said as he checked the text message he just received.

"I probably need to get you back home soon," Dave thought out loud.

"He is just wanting to check and make sure I am okay and safe," Kurt said as he put his phone back into his pocket.

"I should still probably get you back home soon anyway. I know I am not your dad's favorite person and I don't want to do anything to make him like me even less." Dave replied.

"My dad likes you, David. He does."

"Yeah. Right. After all the crap I put your family through I am sure he is just itching to invite me over one day for afternoon tea so we can catch up and gossip." David said with sarcasm dripping from every word.

Kurt scoffed. "I am the one that plans all the tea parties in our house. My dad would be more likely to invite you over to watch a football contest or something."

"Game, Fancy. Football _game_."

"Whatever. It is a bunch of brutes that run around on a field, smashing into each other and holding a funny shaped ball."

"Hey. I was one of those brutes."

"And I am sure you were an excellent brute," Kurt said with a hint of a teasing smile.

"I was. And don't think I don't remember that you were one as well."

Kurt laughed. "I was not a brute. I was the kicker for a total of one game."

"And you helped turn McKinley's losing streak around. I don't think anyone could forget that game."

"Well you were a part of helping to win the championship the next year. That was a pretty memorable game as well."

"It was a game to remember wasn't it?" Dave asked.

"It really was. And it was a good memory, too. High school wasn't really full of those," Kurt replied softly.

"No," Dave said with a sorrowful sigh. "It really wasn't."

"That's okay, though," Kurt said. "Because now you have the rest of your life for good memories, David."

Dave looked back over at Kurt and smiled. "Yeah. I do. Including tonight."


	7. Chapter 7

**Just a warning... Some intense words over suicide are in this chapter. Just to let you know.**

_Can you come over?_ –D

Dave wouldn't divulge any information so Kurt drove to the Karofsky house wondering what the sudden invitation was for. Kurt had received the text just before noon and wondered what could have happened to warrant it.

Kurt parked his vehicle on the street in front of David's house and quickly made it to the front door. He wasn't surprised to find it unlocked so he pushed the door open and walked into the house.

"David?" he called out into the empty house.

"Kitchen."

Kurt walked down the hall and toward the kitchen area. As he turned the corner he found David sitting at the table looking at an envelope that was lying on top of it.

"Hey," he said softly, unsure of what exactly it was that he was called over for. He slowly made his way to sit across from David at the table. He took his seat and remained silent. Dave still hadn't looked his way, his eyes solely focused on the envelope.

The two sat in silence until Dave finally spoke. "When I checked the mail earlier this was in it. It's from OSU. I tried to open it, but . . . I can't."

"Oh, David. Do you need me t-," Kurt started, but was then cut off as Dave pushed the envelope across the table toward Kurt.

"I don't need you to read it, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking enough for me to get the damn thing open."

"Okay. I'll open it for you. Are you sure you don't want me to read it?"

"Yeah. I just … I need it opened."

"Okay," Kurt said softly as he picked the envelope up and put his finger through the small gap in the upper corner underneath the flap.

The sound of paper separating from paper was amplified in the silence and once Kurt finally had the envelope opened he set it back down on the table top before pushing it back across the table to Dave.

For a moment Dave just stared at the envelope as if it was a venomous animal just waiting to infect anyone who dare to disturb it.

"Dave I can read it if you need me to. I don't…"

Kurt's words stopped as David reached forward and grabbed the envelope up off the table. With fumbling hands he got the letter out of the envelope and Kurt sat back helplessly as Dave's eyes scanned across the paper.

"I got in," he whispered breathlessly.

"David. Are you serious?"

"I got in, Kurt. And they are offering me scholarships for sports and academics," Dave said as he thrust the paper at Kurt for him to read.

Kurt didn't doubt that the paper would say exactly what Dave had just told him, but he still wanted to see it for himself. David's acceptance letter was tangible evidence of everything David had worked for in the past few months and Kurt was just glad that he could help David get to this point.

"I am so proud of you," Kurt said with watery eyes.

"Thanks," David said bashfully. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes you could," Kurt stated simply. "But I am glad that I was able to help even just a little bit."

The two boys stood looking at each other until they heard the sound of a car pulling into the drive way.

"It's my dad," David said.

Kurt stood there awkwardly. "I better go."

"No. It's fine. You can wait for me in my room while I tell my dad the news."

"Are you sure? It really isn't a problem. You and your dad might want to have a celebration dinner or something," Kurt explained.

"If we did, then it wouldn't be right to leave you out of it."

Kurt let out a soft sigh. "Okay. I'll go wait for you to tell your dad then."

It didn't take long for Kurt to reach David's room and by the time he did, Paul Karofsky had made it into the house.

"Hey son. How was your day?" He asked.

"Good. It was really good," Dave answered before continuing. "I'd actually like to talk to you about that."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I got in. I got in to OSU," Dave said excitedly.

"That's great David, but-" Paul said before his words were cut off.

"They're offering me scholarships, too! It will all be paid for."

"Money was never the issue, David," Paul replied sadly.

"I know, but I didn't want you to worry about that. I figured it would be a really big help," Dave explained.

"You're right. It would be a big help. But I'm sorry son. I don't feel comfortable with you going to school right now."

"What? But…. You and my doctor agreed that I was doing better. I thought you had become okay with the idea of me leaving for school."

"You have gotten better, David. You have come so far in your therapy and your studies. But I think you are trying to rush into this. It would be best if you stayed here for at least a few more months."

"But I studied so hard. I got a scholarship. You won't have to pay a cent," David said helplessly.

"I told you before, David. It isn't about the money. You don't know anyone there. I would be the closest family member to you and I would still be more than an hour away," Paul replied with an undertone of finality.

"Dad, this isn't fair!" Dave yelled. Kurt began to wonder if he should have left after all.

"Fair?_ This_ isn't fair? No. David, do you want to know what isn't fair? Walking into your son's room and seeing that he tried to take his own life. Having to find your son barely hanging on and being sick with fear and panic that you could lose him. That isn't fair. I'm sorry. I am very proud of you and you really have been doing such a wonderful job bringing up your grades and I know you studied very hard, but I can't let you go. You will be at school all by yourself and I have will have no way to get to you. No way to make sure you are okay. I almost lost you once, David. I am going to make sure I keep you," Paul said, his voice thick with emotion. Kurt couldn't even see the older Karofsky but he could hear the sadness evident in the man's voice and knew he must have been crying.

"Dad, please." Kurt could barely hear Dave at that point, but the words were still there. Pleading.

"I'm sorry, David. No. You can take classes at the community college here and then maybe we can talk about you transferring in the spring, but I am not okay with the idea of you being in a new city all by yourself. I am done discussing this with you," Paul said. After a moment he let out a soft sigh and continued. "I have to go back to the office and get some things that I forgot. I will be back in time for dinner."

"Fine. Whatever," Dave said, his voice dripping with hurt.

"Just know that I am not doing this to upset you David. I love you, son." Paul said.

Kurt sat awkwardly as he heard David's father leave the house. He still wasn't sure if the older Karofsky knew he was even there, but he had a feeling that his presence wouldn't have changed anything the man said.

David walked back into his room with slumped shoulders and pure anguish in his eyes.

Kurt felt so bad for him and just wanted to comfort the other boy. "David, I…-"

"I can't believe I actually thought I could get out of this town," David said as he took a seat next to Kurt on the bed.

"You will! This is just a minor roadblock, but you will get out of here. I believe in you. As corny as that sounds, I do," Kurt said with a soft smile.

"I just wished I believed in myself," Dave said solemnly.

"Dave, you will get out of Lima. Maybe not now, but eventually you will. You're almost an adult. You will have to take that kind of step sooner or later. And maybe after some time your dad will grow comfortable with the idea of you leaving."

"You heard him, Kurt. I know you did. I don't think he will ever be comfortable letting me out of his sight for the rest of his life. And I can't even blame him. That is the worst part about it all. I could just be angry with him if he was only doing this to control me, but he isn't. He is doing this because he loves me and doesn't want to lose me. How can I be mad at him for that? I can't!"

"But sooner or later you have to do what you want to do. He won't be able to control your decisions for the rest of your life," Kurt stated simply.

"He's all I have, Kurt. My mom left us. The rest of my family wants nothing to do with me. He is the only one who is standing by me in all this. I can't just disregard his feelings about this. I have no one else."

"You have me. I am here, David. I have been here. I know I wasn't at first and you will never know just how sorry I am for that, but I am here now. You have me," Kurt said persistently.

"I am so grateful to you for being here and helping me out this summer, but I'm not stupid, Kurt. You're going off to New York. I mean I am sure we will still talk, but I am not dumb enough to believe that you won't be busy making new friends and enjoying yourself once you get there. Why should you be feeling sorry for your Lima Loser friend when you are going to be out there chasing your dreams?"

Kurt cringed at Dave's words. "David, stop."

"Why? It's true. You deserve to enjoy your life. I hope it is everything you ever wanted because you deserve it. But you shouldn't have to put your life on hold every once in a while to remember your boring friend living a boring life in fucking boring Lima, Ohio."

Kurt's voiced hardened as he once again tried to make the other boy stop talking. "David, I am serious. St-."

"No, Kurt, because we need to get this out in the open. We have to look at this situation honestly because if we don't then it can only lead to bitter feelings and hurt. I don't expect you to call every week or even every two weeks once you move. To be honest I think I'll be lucky just to get an update on your life every once in a while through a Facebook message or something. You're going to meet new and interesting people once you get to New York. I don't expect you to remember me," David said, his voice dripping with intense and brutal honesty.

"I could never forget you, David," Kurt said trying put just as much honesty into his tone.

"You say that now."

"Because it is true and it will stay that way. You're upset right now and I understand that is playing a lot into what you are saying, but you can't think that what you said will be true. I am sure that I will be busy if I move to New York, but I will always have time to talk to you."

"No I have been thinking about this all summer. I knew from the beginning that this friendship wouldn't really last past the summer. I mean I am sure we will still talk but nothing will be the same after the summer is over. If I wasn't honest with myself about that I don't think I could have agreed to be your friend," Dave said as his eyes dropped to stare at a spot on the floor a few feet away.

"You should have a little more faith in me. I would never do that to you. You have helped me so much this summer, Dave. You are my friend and even though I will be miles away I know New York isn't going to be a cakewalk. I'll need to talk to a good friend every once in a while," Kurt said as he gave Dave a slight smile even though the other boy still wouldn't look his way.

"Won't Berry be there with you? I am sure she will better at cheering you up."

"Rachel is a dear friend yes, but let's be honest if anything in the city is going annoy and frustrate me, I am sure she will be the cause."

David finally looked at Kurt and gave a small laugh at the comment. "I just want you to enjoy it, Kurt. I don't ever want you to feel like you are obligated to continue being my friend."

"David, stop…"

"No, I need you to know. You can do whatever you want. I just don't want you to feel like you have a duty."

"David, seriously. Stop talking," Kurt said trying to keep the anger from his voice. "You are my friend, okay. I just wish you would realize how important you really are to me."

"But you are going to meet so many people, Kurt. And all of them will be more interesting than I could ever be. I'm just a Lima Loser and I will nev-"

Kurt wasn't exactly sure why David had stop talking all of a sudden, but then he realized why.

It was hard to talk when you had a set of lips pressed desperately against your own.

Kurt pulled back away from Dave quickly and released the grip he had on the other boy's shoulders. He wasn't sure what drove him to kiss Dave. All he wanted was for David to stop talking. He wanted Dave to stop talking badly about himself. To stop trying to push Kurt away and belittling the bond that they had managed to make together.

The look on Dave's face was absolute shock and Kurt was instantly transported back to his junior year. He remembered being in a smelly boys locker room and he remembered the desperate hold of Dave's hands on his face. Their situation this time was eerily similar, yet vastly different.

Kurt wasn't sure how but through his astonishment he heard himself let out a soft, shaky whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Unlike last time, it was Kurt who ran out.

* * *

**An update that didn't take months? How shocking! But only because I have had this chapter written for months. Haha. One year ago today I posted the first chapter... And now a year later we are only on chapter 7. Sorry. The next update probably will not be as speedy, but hopefully it will not be another few months before you see an update. Oh well. Once again... Thank you for reading and if you feel so inclined let me know what you think. Any and all mistakes are mine.**


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